Kathleen Laurie is one of my favorite local Colorado ceramic artists. She lives in Evergreen, CO – a small mountain town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Kathleen’s work bridges ceramic and two dimensional art practices such as painting and printmaking. I confess that I have collected several of ceramic pieces over the years.
We are both members of the Colorado Potters Guild. What does it mean to you to be a member of a clay community?
I joined the guild 18 years ago after working in other studio/classroom type scenarios. It is a unique space with my clay family. Being a potter usually means working in isolation unless you have found this magical place with my people who speak my language of art and clay.
Kathleen Laurie – Printed and Slipped Covered Jar
How many years have you been working with clay?
I had my first experience with clay in the 3rd grade. It was a clay epiphany, an artistic lightning bolt. Overall I would say I’ve been working with clay for 40 years with some breaks in between but I’ve always returned to this medium.
Do you have a formal education in clay/art or how did you acquire your skills?
I have a degree in art/art education from Illinois State University. I’ve studied art my entire life. My mother nurtured my interest in all things art by putting me in classes, taking me to museums and encouraging my artistic growth. She was a science teacher and her interest in the natural world enhanced my visual education.
I spent most of my childhood outdoors running around in the woods and nearby swamps (where there was clay!) Over the years I have participated in workshops to learn glaze formulations and form making, some of them at the guild and some as far away as Vancouver Island with Robin Hopper at Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts.
Kathleen Laurie – Paper Clay Ceramic Wall Canvas
How do you work (techniques/glazing/firing methods)?
My work encompasses wheel thrown pieces, handbuilt pieces, slabs, lots of texture and incising. Sometimes I combine wheel work with slab work. It varies from functional to sculptural. Wall work and garden pieces. It’s all how my brain tells me to proceed. It’s become intuitive. As I throw a large bowl on my wheel, I envision what kind of beautiful salad will live in it and what color glaze to consider.
The firings take place at the guild. I fire to cone 10 in reduction or soda kilns. Glazing is my way of painting. My art background was comprehensive with drawing, painting, printmaking and ceramics. Now all of that training has morphed into my glaze style which is very graphic in nature. Clay has become my canvas. There’s lots of layers of information, lots of marks, lots of overlapping glazes.
Kathleen Laurie – Tumblers
What does “being creative” mean to you?
Being creative means having the freedom to explore, invent, fail, succeed, move on, revisit, stall etc. I’ve always been creative and therefore the exacting left-brain talents are weaker.
Speaking of exploration, you recently confided that you have started hand building more. Can you share some work in progress?
Kathleen Laurie – Slab Work in Progress
I’m doing more hand building at the moment, decorating with slips, textures and decals.
(Editor’s note – I can’t wait to see these in person when we fire next week!)
What kind of creative patterns, routines or rituals do you have?
Music is part of my studio environment. I work at my home studio. Usually there is a fire in my pellet stove, incense going, I must bustle around a bit, clean up, organize, chat with the cat and after an hour I settle down to some actual work. I work in spurts. Can’t work 8 hours at a time. Procrastination is my nemesis. I jokingly say that I have Studio Attention Deficit Disorder, SADD. It takes a while for me to focus and let go of outside, everyday diversions.
Kathleen Laurie – Ceramic Sculpture
How do you overcome obstacles or difficulties working in clay?
I keep working thru it. If I hit a stall or creative wall, it usually takes some time to get back to work. The drought passes in time and with experience I realize it’s just a temporary incubation where something is evolving into a new design or idea. Sometimes it requires discussing with my guild mates to get past it. YouTube is also a great source of quick training.
Do you pursue any themes in your art work?
Patterns, grids, linear designs, turtles, fish, birds, dragonflies, color.
Kathleen Laurie – Fish Platter
Who or what inspires you?
Nature, traveling, reading, museums, artist friends, my guild mates, life experiences. Just about everything I see has a possibility of making an appearance in my clay work.
Kathleen Laurie – Wheel Thrown Ceramic Bottles
Where do you see your work progressing over the next year?
I would like my work to increase in height and volume! New forms are always on the horizon. Sculpture is happening.
I publish interviews with artists whose primary medium is clay once a week, every Friday. This regular segment is named “Feature Fridays”. Find past interviews on the Ceramicscapes Blog using the category search function on the right hand sidebar. Interested in being featured? Visit the Apply for Feature Fridays page for more information.
Several months ago, I had an idea while I was out walking with my dog to create some ceramic wall hangings. Initially, I imagined that the ceramic pieces would stand alone. The idea makes sense to me – especially since I already make ceramic wall art. Then, I became fascinated with the resurgence of the art of macramé.
Yes – the art of knot tying that had its heyday, most recently in the 1970’s!
Patti Hardee – Macrame Owl Wall Hanging from the 70’s
A friend of mine from high school tagged me in an Instagram post of a macrame owl wall hanging that she made in the 1970’s with her grandmother. Isn’t this awesome? What a sweet memory and I love that she still displays her owl. To me it still looks fresh…but I do remember the art form falling out of favor in the 80’s.
History of Macramé
According to Wikipedia, “Macramé comes from a 13th-century Arabic weavers’ word migramah meaning “fringe”. This refers to the decorative fringes on camels and horses which help, amongst other things, to keep the flies off the animal in the hot desert regions of northern Africa.”
So, it’s actually a decorative and functional art that’s been around a long time. The art form later moved to Europe via the Moors and then to other parts of the world by sailors who passed their time making gifts using rope which was readily available on a ship.
So, as a ceramic artist, I decided to combine clay + macramé to create some home decor pieces. In preparation of trying my hand at adding fiber/cord to my ceramic work, I made a couple of stand alone wall hangings using some simple knots.
My first attempt was just okay. I was much more deliberate with the second one. My daughter loves it, so I gave it to her and she hung it up in her dorm room.
Ceramic Components
Ceramicscapes – Ceramic Wall Hanging 3
Can you see my vision? I don’t think that I could have made the ceramic components without first trying my hand at making some simple macramé wall hangings and practicing making various types of knots.
Ceramicscapes – Ceramic Wall Hanging 4
I even purchased about 600 feet of 3 strand cotton rope to finish my ceramic wall hangings. Also, I borrowed a couple of macramé books from the library to use as reference. I’m excited to finish these and perhaps make them a regular part of my online shop.
In a land and time far, far away, I taught children’s clay classes. I taught at an after school enrichment program in Denver at an elementary school and I also taught a few kid’s art camps at the Art Student’s League of Denver and Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, CO. Recently, a teacher friend asked me for some clay project advice for her students and I was reminded of the variety of children’s clay projects I taught over the span of 3 years.
I had a ton of fun teaching these projects and classes. Kids are innately creative and are not afraid of breaking the “rules” when it comes to art making.
After I pulled out a number of photos for my friend as reference, I decided that I should probably make a page on my website that features the variety of children’s clay projects that my students made. Teaching also benefitted my own clay practice.
Children’s Clay Class Age Ranges
The kids I taught ranged from five to thirteen years old. Typically, I broke the classes up into K – 1st grade, 2nd – 5th grades and then 6-8th grades. I find that the younger children have less dexterity and need more hands on help than older students. Also, some projects were just too complicated for the really young students.
Some of the children’s clay projects that I taught are ones that originated out of my own clay practice. We made a variety of functional items like soup can mugs, plates and other items. I also referenced a book titled, Ceramics for Kids by Mary Ellis. Often, making a project would spark new ideas and of course the kids made suggestions for projects that they were interested in making.
Ceramics for Kids by Mary Ellis
If their suggestion was reasonable, I usually tried to make it happen. I would generally make the project ahead of time to use as a reference and then develop a lesson plan around the clay project.
My classes ran 2 hours after school. We typically made the project one week and then glazed the next and allowed plenty of time for a snack and clean up since we used the art room in the elementary school.
Other projects ideas:
rattles
whistles
fairy houses
marionettes
bowls
cupcake jars
and more
Stay tuned for a website update. I’ll add a page along with lots of photos of children’s clay projects.
Page Kelly Piccolo is the owner and creative force behind Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery located in Montana. Page makes lovely functional pottery that feature botanical themes and the texture of fabrics.
Please Introduce Yourself:
My name is Page. I’ve long wished that I could just be monoeponymous (I made that word up). If I could legally go by Page, I would do it. Currently, I live in a bedroom community outside of Helena, MT, which is known both as Montana City and Clancy. I’m a fifth-generation Montanan, but I spent a good chunk of my early adulthood moving my furniture from one side of the country to the other and back again.
Page Kelly Piccolo In Her Studio
How did your clay journey begin?
I vaguely remember an art class in sixth grade, or so, where our art teacher, whom I can only remember as Mr. M???? (my brain continues to refuse to fill in the space) had a short ceramic section where we all had an opportunity to throw on the wheel. We also built a bust. Of all the pieces that I’ve lost to the kiln gods over time, that bust is the one I miss the most. My memory of it was that it was really good, but we didn’t carve out the centers, so everything exploded, likely due to residual water. I love figurative sculpture, and want to explore that work more in the future.
When I was a teen, I had the opportunity to do a studio visit with Judy Ericksen. She let me throw a couple of bowls on her wheel and then at some point we did a raku firing. I enjoyed it immensely. Sadly, I didn’t get the support or encouragement to explore pottery further.
Many years later, lifetimes, I left my second husband and returned to Montana to keep my mother alive. We’d lost three immediate family members in the span of two years, and she was sliding down a black hole of depression. We sold her “in-town” house and moved to a twenty-acre property where she, and I, could start over.
The road to our house went by the Archie Bray Foundation and I drove by twice a day for months. I finally stopped in and signed up for a class and I took my first official pottery class July and August of 2003. Jeremy “Jr.” Kane was my teacher. The following January, I had enrolled in Carroll College with the intent of getting some kind of degree. In the fall of 2004, I took a class through the college that was in cooperation with the Bray, and Ben Krupka was my teacher that semester. The semester-end crit was brutal, I was unprepared for it, but in the long run, it has been the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given.
“BE INTENTIONAL.”
I’ve since taken several classes and workshops at the Bray, and I was a studio tech for Ralph Esposito at the college for a couple of semesters. In 2007, I’d become frustrated with the community firing at the Bray and no longer had access to the ceramic studio at the college. This pushed me to buy a kiln and a wheel which I set up a little basement studio.
By and large, my education has been in my studio – pushing myself to do better, to try something new, and to problem-solve. I’ve had four physical spaces in the last ten years. Between some interruptions of moving and having a daughter, I’ve found those breaks have led to great leaps of improvement in my work. The time off quiets my hands, but not my mind as I constantly obsess about clay.
I’m curious about the name of your clay business, “Zephyr Valley Pottery”. Is this a place or region in Montana where you live?
I’m fuzzy on the timeline, but some time before Montana was a state, my Great-Great-Grandfather had registered a livestock brand with the territory. It reads, “Reversed Hanging Z V.” This brand was eventually inherited by my grandmother who had a ranch in a valley in Meagher County. When I was a teen, Gram made a sign with the name “Zephyr Valley Ranch” which had the image of the brand on it.
Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery Logo
I wish I knew what happened to that sign, I’d love to have it. In any case, my grandparents are long dead, the ranch has been sold, but my mother retains a quarter of the rights to the brand. In homage to my grandma I named my pottery business Zephyr Valley Pottery and now it’s Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery. I use an image of the brand inside the jug form as my signature on my pots.
Page Kelly Piccolo – Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery – Bowl with Decal
What happens if you ever leave Montana? I ask, mainly, because my creative business was called Colorado Art Studio at one time. In 2013, I rebranded my as ceramicscapes so that I could easily move in the future should I desire. I also really debated whether to use my name, but my last name is so difficult to pronounce and spell. Naming a creative business is more challenging than it seems – have you ever considered using your name instead?
As far as the business name goes, I don’t have any issue in taking it with me wherever I go, because it really is more of a familial connection rather than a geographic one. The problem that I’ve recently come across is connecting my business name with me, the artist, and the work that I’ve been exhibiting.
Last year I began applying to juried shows in earnest, and I’ve been very fortunate to be accepted into many of them. The galleries put Page Kelly Piccolo on the labels, not Zephyr Valley Ceramics so I don’t think the connection is necessarily being made. Fortunately, Google has me covered, but folks have to think to search for me there. This is just one of the areas where being an artist in business can be challenging, there is no clear path or one right way.
Page Kelly Piccolo – Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery – Yunomi with decal
I am excited to learn that you (and another friend, Judi Tavill) have both been invited to show your work at the AKAR 2017 Yunomi invitational. I am thrilled for both of you. Did you apply to the show, or did AKAR find you online and invite you?
I can’t even begin to express how excited I am to be a participant in this show. For me, this show is THE ceramics show of the year. I always buy a piece (or three) and sit at my computer hitting refresh waiting for the show to open. I LOVE this show.
This truly is an invitation only exhibit – I did not apply. I’m not entirely sure how they found me, but a couple of things happened. As I mentioned, I had earnestly applied and been accepted into several shows last year. Two of those shows were pretty big – one at Companion Gallery and one at the Charlie Cummings Gallery. I was so excited to be selected to those shows.
The other thing that happened was a post by ClayAKAR on Facebook that I commented on. I read it as a kind of fun, ‘hey we’re sending out invitations, is there anyone we should be sending invitations to’ post, so I was like “Uh, yeah, ME!” (none of this is the actual quote, but the essence). Maybe three or four weeks later, I received the questionnaire asking if I would like to participate. I might have hyperventilated a little.
Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery – New Studio
You recently moved to a new home after building your (what appeared to be) dream home. As someone who moves fairly frequently as well, I understand the impulse. Why did you make the move to the new place. How has that impacted your clay practice?
Yeah, I really have to quit moving. Where to start…. My husband and I actually built our dream home in 2012. We have another business, BearGrass Homes, which is a construction business, now more property management. When we built the 2012 house, we were in a neighborhood where we could pick which school our daughter could attend.
In 2014, I had a health issue that caused me to quit working in the studio for an extended period, and I had to get a full-time J.O.B. outside of my studio. We set up our life and work schedules based on my daughter going to a specific school. They had an after-school program that the other school did not, which meant that I could go to work and not worry about her after school. We discovered when we went to register her, the school had drawn hard lines, and we were outside of that line by two blocks. They also made a rule that they were not accepting out-of-district kids, no exceptions.
I couldn’t mentally or emotionally get to the place where the other school would work, so I moved my family. My husband couldn’t be convinced to buy a house that was already built, so we found a lot and built another home. And that house was another dream house, one level living with a few bells and whistles with a studio in the basement. But, I was regaining my health and working in the studio again. Also, my husband was unhappy with the location.
Page Kelly Piccolo -Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery – Yunomi
As I achieved more success with my pottery business and started getting more wholesale and consignment accounts, the path to being a full-time potter again seems really viable. But the mortgage on the new dream house would never have allowed for that. I started looking for a home that had an outbuilding and needed some TLC, something inexpensive that we could improve on.
I found it. It was back in the old neighborhood my husband and daughter loved, and the school district has different rules for existing students, so we bought this beat-up repo house. Now I have my dream studio and the family is glad to be back in the old ‘hood. I’m closer to being financially able to go full-time in the studio again.
My clay practice has had a lot of interruptions. Emotionally, it’s incredibly challenging being away from the creative process. Mentally, it’s challenging because I’m not producing work, so I get behind on orders or goals. Right now, I don’t have anything to submit for exhibitions because I’m in full order-filling mode.
I work 60-70 hours a week, 40 at my day gig and the rest in the studio. I hope to find balance someday. Strangely, these breaks have a strong positive impact on the quality of my work because it has improved by leaps and bounds. I think a lot of that has to do with all the time I think about the work and the process, and the challenges I want to overcome.
Page Kelly Piccolo – Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery – Cup
I imagine that Montana has a fairly decent, but seasonal tourist season similar to Colorado. How do you sell your work typically? On Etsy? Or is your best market local such as galleries, shops or craft markets?
This is a tough question. My hometown is an odd place for me. I don’t fit into any specific cubby, and until recently it’s been challenging to find a place to sell my work locally. I don’t really do the Montana touristy stuff – graphics of the state, elk, moose or the like. And, I’m not one of the elite potters that have been through the Bray residency.
I’ve done okay with Etsy, and I think that continues to improve over time. I did the wholesale trade-show circuit in Montana, but I ran up against the “oh you use photography? Can you put a moose on that?” To which my answer was, “Can? Yes. Want to? Going to? No.”
Part of my impetus for applying to the exhibits last year was to see if my work would sell nationally. Now, I’m working on building a portfolio to send to galleries across the country, but I’ve also been developing my wholesale and consignment accounts.
I have a lovely boutique in Bozeman, MT that has led to a wholesale account with a farm-to-roaster coffee shop. Recently, a local gallery has added me to their stable. I’m also a member of Montana Clay, and last year we had our first studio tour. It was very successful and we are hoping to build on that. Helena has a Spring and Fall art walk each year, and I try to participate in that.
Zephyr Vallery Ceramics and Pottery Studio
One of the primary goals I had with this last move was to have a place that people can come to and be more informed about the process and buy from me directly. I will be hosting studio sales once or twice a year to bring in the larger crowds, but I am always happy to have locals come by. I’m hoping to hold an Open-House style event here in the beginning of June. This is all part of rebuilding the business, and it takes time. At the same time, I hope I can keep up!
Page Kelly Piccolo – Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery – Bowl
You take wonderful photographs of your ceramic work. Photographing work is challenging for a lot of potters, myself included. In scrolling through your Instagram feed, I’m curious about your photo set up that you posted on April 1, 2017. Can you expand on the equipment and techniques you use?
Thank you. My husband should really get all the credit. I take most of my pictures but he has done all the work on figuring out how to get the effects I’m looking for. He’s the kind of guy that gets interested in something and then has to figure out how it all works.
A few years ago, he became interested in landscape and astral photography, so I challenged him to help me with my pot pictures. We started with a lightbox on the kitchen counter, we had a space in a storage room where I hung a cheap canvas wrapped in tinfoil from the ceiling to use as a bounce light. We tried all kinds of options.
Zephyr Valley Ceramics and Pottery Photography Set Up
The set up that you mention is now in my new studio. I’ve got a roll of white paper, a piece of foam board to use as a light bounce, and a strobe light with a soft-box. Along with these essentials is the stands to hold everything up and in place. The strobe is on a remote, so instead of a flash, I get a much stronger burst of light. The angles of the light and the bounce board are about 90° to each other. The benefit is a controlled outcome and I can take pictures in my studio and not worry about any environmental light from windows or the ceiling.
I get a graduated background effect when I want it, or I can open up the angle of the light and bounce board, add a light, and have a white or grey background. Because my pots are white, the graduated background helps make them pop a bit more. I love natural light pictures, but my schedule doesn’t allow for me to take pictures on Mother Nature’s schedule.
I’m excited to see what ClayAKAR does this year with the Yunomi Invitational. This year they are posting 360° views of each pot.
I had to delete the Periscope app on my phone last year because I ran out of space. When I replaced my phone I never re-installed the app, because I found the notifications distracting. Are “scopes” automatically archived now to watch later? Are you still active on Periscope? If so, what does it add to your clay practice?
Periscope is awesome. It’s also extremely distracting. (you can turn the notifications off in settings, btw.)
The clay community that has been built around the ‘Scopers and the viewers is amazing. Initially, it was really addicting and I watched and broadcast a lot. There were a few hiccups initially, but Periscope has improved a lot of its features in the last year.
So here’s the bottom line: As a broadcaster, I love it when my viewers interact, ask questions, engage. Hearts are like applause (tap the screen to give a heart). The trolls can be really really super awful, so I limit who can chat to those who follow me. I can look at your profile and see if you are someone who is actually interested in ceramics. Also, when I’m doing throwing demos it’s really hard to split my attention between my pots and the conversation, and it really slows me down.
Page Kelly Piccolo Applying Decals
I’m more likely to ‘Scope these days when I’m glazing or applying decals or the like. The broadcaster has the option to save the broadcasts or delete them, so yes, they can be archived. To conserve space on my devices, I delete the videos. I occasionally upload them to my YouTube channel because I will be referencing that video in a blog post.
And that last bit is really what Periscope has added to my practice. I re-started my blog on my website, because I felt like there was more information to share. Photos of completed work, links to other artists or products or whatever that was discussed in the broadcast. It helps fill in the spaces, and I think sharing information is one of the things that I most love about potters. We tend to be supportive of each other, and I want to pay that forward.
Who or what inspires you?
My daughter inspires me. Mostly to be the woman she can look to as an example of someone who is strong, independent, caring, kind, thoughtful, inclusive. I want better for my child than I had or did, so I try to model that for her.
Beyond that, in my art, I’m a sensory inspired person. I love texture, pattern and love subtlety or things that make me want to engage or investigate. Attention to how things feel is maybe more important than how my work looks.
What do you do for fun outside of pottery?
Right now, I work mostly. I’m intent on getting back into the studio full-time and I’m doing everything I can to make that happen. I’ve also managed to get my arthritis and fibromyalgia under control so that I can physically handle going back to the studio. I study nutrition and am always working toward getting healthier. Recently, I started taking a pilates class once a week.
My mother-in-law taught me some knitting basics, so I’ve done a bit of that. Always looking for balance in life, never quite getting there. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl. I also hope to get some camping in this summer.
I publish interviews with artists whose primary medium is clay once a week, every Friday. This regular segment is named “Feature Fridays”. Find past interviews on the Ceramicscapes Blog using the category search function on the right hand sidebar. Interested in being featured? Visit the Apply for Feature Fridays page for more information.
Today, I share some of my botanic inspired ceramic work in progress – and some finished work from my last soda firing at the Colorado Potters Guild.
All of the work in progress is “green”, meaning it hasn’t been fired yet. Greenware needs to be “bone dry” before undergoing the first firing, also known as the bisque firing. At this point, if I mishandle or bump one of my fragile, bone dry pieces, it will break.
Bisque firing makes the work slightly stronger and able to withstand bumps etc. Glaze firing pieces makes ceramic work vitrified, or water tight and much stronger. Of course, being ceramic, all work will break if it’s dropped on a hard surface.
Ceramicscapes – Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work – Poppy Seed Pod Bud Vase
Ceramicscapes – Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work – Seed Pod Bud Vase
Ceramicscapes – Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work – Flower Frog
Ceramicscapes – Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work – Seed Pod Vase
Ceramicscapes – Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work – Bushy Seedbox Vase
Ceramicscapes – Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work – Spacer Beads
I’m having a lot of fun with these. In a sense, it reminds me of my childhood a bit. I could spend hours and hours playing by myself in a world of make believe. I would create environments or rooms using my cracked open books for my dolls. The end papers of my books made beautiful wall paper or even a forest. I developed elaborate story lines that could last for days until I decided to move onto a different activity.
Today, I’m using some of the botanic or flora photographs as inspiration. In some cases, I attempt to replicate what I see, in others, I take artistic liberty to depict a flower or seedpod. In truth, it is really hard to make the real thing better.
Other Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work
I’m also fully aware that I am not the first artist to attempt to capture seed pods or flowers in clay. Just check out my most recent Pinterest search. What I find incredible, is the range of interpretations. Each person has a unique life view and will interpret the exact same subject differently. We each have our own way of working with clay – our touch is different, our tools, our mindsets, our preferred color palette and even our firing methods. All of these inform our making and interpretations which makes ceramic art (and all art) really exciting.
Finished Botanic Inspired Ceramic Work
Ceramicscapes – Seed Pod Trio Glazed
Ceramicscapes – Seed Pod Inspired Vases
Why have I moved in this direction? I’m not sure, is my honest answer. I have been content to explore drawing and clay. In fact, I still am. This newest work seems to be an tangent of my sculptural explorations and my stacked ceramic totem sculptures. It’s fun and joyful which makes going to “work” in my studio a great day.
One of my goals for this work is to create functional ceramic objects that are also beautiful on their own.
I am obsessed with the photographs of German artist and teacher, Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932). I discovered his work on Pinterest when I started researching plant forms – specifically seedpods to serve as a spring board for my clay practice.
Plant Photographs of Karl Blossfeldt
A sample of Plant Photographs by Karl Blossfeldt
Karl Blossfeldt Papaver, prints available at the Michael Hoppen Gallery
He developed his own cameras that could make photographs that enlarged a subject up to 30 times its size. Originally, his photographs began as a teaching experiment at the Unterrichtsanstalt des Königlichen Kunstgewerbemuseums Berlin, now part of the Kunstwerbe Museum.
Among his preferred subject matters were plants.
He believed that ‘the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure.’
Ultimately, his photographs served as teaching aids for his students. By sharing his magnified photographs of plants with art students, the photographs illustrated how the intricate structures of plants can inform design. Sounds a lot like “biomimicry“, before the term earned a fancy name.
Karl Blossfeldt Henbane, prints available at Michael Hoppen Gallery
To see more of his work, please check out some of the links that I provide in this post.
History of the Collection
Karl Blossfeldt’s collection of photographs was published in 1928 in Urformen der Kunst or Art Forms in Nature 30 years after the photos were originally taken. Here is a link to an in depth pdf for more information.
In 1974, Ann and Jürgen Wilde purchased the negatives of the photographs and established the Karl Blossfeldt Archives which is now part of the Ann and Jürgen Wilde Foundation associated with the Bayerische Staatsfamaldesammlungen, Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany.
Judi Tavill is a ceramic artist based in New Jersey who makes beautiful sculptural, yet functional pottery and wall pieces. Judi Tavill Ceramics’s work draws from her frequent travel and exploration. Coastal discoveries, woodland finds, and lush flora influence her creative process.
Judi Tavill Ceramics
Please Introduce Yourself:
I am a ceramic artist with a studio based on the oceanic shore of New Jersey. Born in 1968 in Baltimore, MD, I received a BFA in Fashion Design from the Washington University in Saint Louis in 1990. I achieved swift success as a fashion and textile print designer prior to the birth of my two boys.
When I left fashion to pursue my art interests in 2002 and after delving into various mediums, I found clay in 2003. I definitely pursued ceramics with a voracious appetite, beginning at Monmouth County Park System’s Thompson Park Creative Arts Center and attending a great variety of craft school intensives in the following years.
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Detail
My current studio practice involves tasks of repetition and contemplation that serve as a working meditation. Outside of my studio practice, I enjoy traveling with my husband and family and I find that it reinvigorates and inspires my work. I have taught locally and volunteer in my community. Currently, I teach ceramic skills to autistic adults at Oasis TLC, a therapeutic life center once a week.
Judi Tavill in Her Studio – Photo Credit Sue Barr
How did your Judi Tavill Ceramics’ journey begin?
I started working with clay when I was painting with oil paint sticks and using my fingers to manipulate the paint. A friend, who was a painter, told me that I needed to be careful due to toxicity in certain paints and suggested that if I enjoyed this part of the process, to give clay a try. I found The Creative Arts Center and began taking clay classes once a week which turned into 3 classes a week. In addition, I took advantage of every chance to use open studio hours.
My husband and I were building a new house at the time and had planned to have an 2D art studio space for me which quickly became a ceramic studio space. I purchased a wheel while we were renting a house that I used on plastic stretched over the basement floor and my kiln arrived shortly after we moved into our new home. That was about 14 years ago and the rest is history.
In 2011, your work made a pretty significant stylistic shift that evolved into a very cohesive style and method of working that is your signature today. After perusing your blog archives, however, I can see the nascent beginnings. What do you think prompted this shift?
Judi Tavill Ceramics – (Earlier Work) Vase
I found myself in a place where my work was selling OK. Yet, I felt that if I was going to keep making functional work with a twist, I needed to pursue my customer strategically which meant committing to the design and repetition. I just didn’t feel attached to that work.
My work at the time, didn’t really represent me and I wanted to make work that was truly unique and special or one of a kind. I took some workshops that lead me in this direction and I also did a lot of back and forth creatively which evolved into the work that I currently make.
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Catalina Vase
We both enrolled in Ben Carter’s and Molly Hatch’s Think Big! online course in 2013. This class certainly started the wheels turning for me in regards to alternative ways to market and sell my work in this day and age. How did this course affect your practice?
Think Big was very helpful. I took a couple of online courses that were similar but different. This class was more enjoyable as it directly related to ceramics. Also, the class prompted me to think about who my customer is, where he/she could find my work and why they need it. Variations of my work developed from there. I definitely got to the point that I pulled my work off of ETSY and applied to sell on Artful Home.
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Coral Foliage Francis Wall Piece
Can we talk about Artful Home? You and I both started out on Etsy, but it doesn’t seem to be the right online venue to sell your current work. Artful Home is an upscale and juried Etsy, but similar to a gallery in that it takes a significant commission on sales. Would you recommend Artful Home to other artists as a place to sell work online since the site has large audience, or do you recommend that artists build an email list in order to sell on their own websites?
Artful home feels more representative of artists making fine craft and offers a curated version/gallery to the internet customer. I like that the site proactively advertises and the price points I moved toward with my new work fits into their selections. Additionally, I also sell directly on my website and have made more of an attempt to (minimally) promote it and to keep it stocked. This effort is starting to have a positive effect owing to some nice, recent sales. Sales online, however, come in fits and spurts across all platforms.
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Helena Jar
If work fits into the price point and quality range seen on Artful Home, I recommend applying. Once accepted, there is a one time fee and the split is similar to wholesale/gallery commissions.
It is important to keep my prices the same EVERYWHERE. Since, I also work with interior designers, the last thing they want is to have their customer find the same work directly from the artist at a lower price. My studio customers and those at fine craft shows (The Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft show/ The Baltimore ACC Retail Show) know that pricing is the same across the board because I need to keep my relationships amicable.
Artful Home does not allow artists to retain customer email addresses or to advertise individual websites. Ultimately, the customer knows the artist’s name and can find their favorites. I try to update my email list frequently and add people as often as possible but I have not mastered it. ALSO… you need to actually SEND emails.
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Bowl
You have been attending NCECA regularly over the years. One of my friends from the Colorado Potters Guild told me that she experiences NCECA overload after attending the conference that negatively affects her clay practice. How do you keep from becoming overwhelmed with all the talent and beautiful ceramic work you see over the course of the conference? Or, alternatively, how does attending NCECA affect you positively or negatively?
I love NCECA but I can absolutely see how it can be overwhelming and intimidating. I am able to connect with other ceramic artists/potters that I may ONLY see at NCECA and that is wonderful and can be a bit of a party!
The shows are always inspiring and the talks and demos, etc. always have little nuggets of info I will use right away or tuck away for some future endeavor. I am not focused on teaching workshops or getting a ton of gigs so I have not applied to demo or speak there yet, but I may some day. There is potential for various kinds of exposure and I have met other artists that may end up being relevant to future collaborations.
Usually, I come home exhausted but excited to use something from there, a bit of knowledge, a new tool, etc. This year I bit the bullet after researching and window shopping for years and bought a pug mill to reclaim all of my carved clay scraps, etc. It’s not here yet… EXCITED THOUGH!
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Photo Credit Sue Barr
You are pretty prolific in regards to the amount of work that you produce. How do you keep up the pace considering that you’re also a mom and you work from home?
I’m a little obsessed with working and have always been this way in some capacity. I was pretty obsessed as a fashion designer and this trait basically shifted to clay and has even increased. When my children were younger, it was tough but I worked during naps and after bedtime especially. It was definitely hard to focus and figure out where the work was going during this time so it doesn’t feel like I have been working in clay for 14 solid years.
When I was not in the studio, I would sketch and ponder ideas when we were travelling or I was in a car waiting for one child to finish one of their activities. Now, one son is almost 17 years old and the other is 20 and away at school so I have a lot more time. There will always be things that pull me in various directions…including laundry, cooking dinner, etc.
Judi Tavill Ceramics – Yunomi
Who or what inspires you?
I have definitely been inspired by nature the most. Design plays a part and natural environments. I don’t feel particularly drawn to narrative, maybe because I’d rather just blather on and on about something instead of speaking through my work. Never say never, but abstraction and texture pull me in everytime. I am definitely experiencing a bit of a shift again and my work may evolve a tad because of it. Stay tuned….
Judi Tavill – Throwing Pottery
What do you do for fun outside of pottery?
I take my knitting almost everywhere because if I can’t have my hands in clay much I need to be doing something else. It must be a bit like smoking… a place saver. (By the way, I do not smoke.)
I have a tendency to make scarves, wraps, blankets since I don’t want to focus on a pattern and I just want to knit because I love fiber. I would like to just mush a bunch of it together to feel it and look at it…instead, I knit it.
I have power-walked for exercise since I was 18 and tend to listen to music (mainly just my son’s www.jaketavill.com) OR PODCASTS and AUDIOBOOKS which both transfer well from the studio to my earbuds. I live on the northern most part of the Jersey Shore. I am between two rivers and a 15 minute walk to the beach which is great for exploring.
As a couple or family, we usually snowboard somewhere in the snowy months, mainly out west (near you). We also travel frequently. Museums and the like in Manhattan are a ferry ride away and so is my son’s music career, so we tend to check out his gigs.
Additionally, I’ve become proactive in the #resist movement and I work with autistic adults (with clay) about once a week at OASIS TLC. I’m also a bit of a foodie when I have the opportunity.
Where can people find you? (website, shop, galleries, social media – please include links)
The AKAR 2017 YUNOMI INVITATIONAL which opens on line May 5, 2017
I publish interviews with artists whose primary medium is clay once a week, every Friday. This regular segment is named “Feature Fridays”. Find past interviews on the Ceramicscapes Blog using the category search function on the right hand sidebar. Interested in being featured? Visit the Apply for Feature Fridays page for more information.
A few days ago, I randomly noticed a post on a Facebook group that I belong to announcing that former and current students in the Make Art That Sells e-courses were participating in a 100 Day Project. I don’t exactly need one more thing added to my to-do list, but I signed up anyway.
The premise is that for 100 days, participants will post an image of their project. Participants choose their own themes for the 100 days. I chose 100 days of patterns with the notion that I would use this exercise to work on surface design for my clay work.
History of the 100 Day Project
According to the 100 Day Project website, “The 100DayProject is a creativity excavation. It’s about unearthing dormant or unrealized creativity by committing to a daily practice everyday for 100 days.”
I like this so much that I couldn’t really improve upon the description. The website and idea is in its fourth year right now. It’s so popular, there are literally thousands of posts on Instagram that use the tag #100dayproject.
100 Days of Patterns
I knew that the time that I can commit to the project is limited. With that in mind, I decided to choose patterns as a jumping off point to explore clay surfaces. I intend to spend no more that 15 minutes a day on each sketch and will do it first thing in the morning. Sketching first thing in the morning over my first cup of coffee is also probably a much healthier alternative to signing on to my computer. It’s a warm up exercise to start my day creatively.
Ceramicscapes 1 of 100 – 100 Days of Patterns
100 Days of Patterns – Beginnings
Translating a 2 dimensional surface to clay is limited to using slip, underglaze, glaze and texture instead of pen, ink, etc. I can explore circles, squares, lines, and other shapes at leisure. Since I have 98 days left, I’m spending the first part working with circles or dots. I’m also limiting my color palette to black and white for consistency.
Ceramicscapes 2 of 100 – 100 Days of Patterns
Epiphany
After I decided to work with a square format – mostly chosen for sharing on Instagram, I had a crazy idea on day 1.
I’ve been meaning to play around with paper clay and to explore the non-functional ceramic art realm. What if I used the 100 Days of Patterns as a jumping off point to explore paper clay? I can use the structure of the 100 Days Project to make a large body of work that can be shown together, but also broken up into smaller groupings.
What if I made paper clay tiles and used the images from my 100 Days of Pattern to create 100 tiles? Maybe, I could propose a gallery exhibition locally that featured all 100 tiles and the accompanying sketches. What gallery and where? I’m not sure, but I have 100 days to figure out how to make my idea a reality.
Ceramicscapes 2 of 100 – 100 Days of Patterns
Currently, I’m reading (rather listening) to Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert while I work in my studio. It’s a bit woo-woo, but the book is speaking to me. Yesterday, I listened while she hypothesized that the universe flows with inspiration and ideas looking for a vessel for expression. Being open to inspiration and embracing the challenge is good and maybe even cosmic intervention.
Many people have similar ideas, but each of us expresses them uniquely. Part of expressing an idea is to welcome it, announce it to the world and to act on it. Creating habits, like 100 Days of Patterns is my first step at realizing this lightening bolt of an idea that popped into my head when I started drawing on day 1 of my 100 Days Project.
Follow My Project
I will only be posting sporadic updates on my blog every so often. I will, however, be posting daily progress on Instagram @ceramicscapes and my Ceramicscapes Facebook page. An archive of my 100 Days of Patterns can be found as a sub page of “In the Studio”.
The hash tags I’m using are #100daysofpatterns, #100daysofpatternceramicscapes
A couple of years ago, I purchased a color ceramic decal printer from a local company. The printer was pretty pricey, so to help offset the expense, I decided to sell custom ceramic decals to other artists. By far, the biggest issue for potters is how to format a ceramic decal sheet using Photoshop or another photo editing program.
I offer graphic design services to people who want or need assistance, but, many people want to format their decal sheets themselves. In the end, I decided that it would be easier if I did a few video tutorials on how to format ceramic decals.
The first tutorial up is my photo software of choice – Adobe Photoshop. I use Photoshop CS 5 and 6 – but it looks like Adobe offers most of their programs by subscription now via the cloud.
How to format custom ceramic decals in Photoshop
How to format ceramic decal sheet using Photoshop
So, without further ado, here is my quick video on how I format ceramic decal sheets using Photoshop. This video is by no means the only way to format a sheet of custom ceramic decals, but is one I use frequently. My goal is to format a sheet that has as many images as possible on a sheet. I also want each image to have at least an 1/8″ spaced border so that cutting the decals is easy.
Using your own artwork
This tutorial assumes that you know how to scan your artwork and save it to a place on your computer. Please let me know if you would like a tutorial on how to scan artwork.
Color conversion from ceramic decal image to the printer’s color space
My preferred file types to print custom decals are .jpg, .tiff, .pdf. Files need to be a high resolution, preferably 300 dpi so that no quality is lost. Keep in mind that my ceramic decal printer uses food safe ceramic toners. Many brighter colors print and fire duller than what is shown on your screen. Visit my Custom Ceramic Decal Page for more information.
In the near future, I will be offering tutorials on how format ceramic decal using GIMP and other free image tools.
To purchase a custom color or black and white ceramic decal sheet, please visit Ceramicscapes’ Etsy Shop.
If there is any part of the video that doesn’t make sense, please let me know in the comments. I will attempt to clarify and update the video.
Sarah Christensen is a ceramic artist and the creative force behind Sarah Christensen Ceramics located in Denver, Colorado. She is known for her highly decorated wheel thrown functional work and ceramic wall pieces.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics
Please introduce yourself:
I was always encouraged to be an artist, and I always wanted to be one. While I dabbled in lots of mediums as a kid, I didn’t touch clay until high school. Only then, did I really think it could happen. I went to college to blow glass, but after many burns, found clay to be more conducive to how I translated my ideas with my hands. That was all it took, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Wheel Thrown Bowl
How many years have your been working with clay?
I’ve been working in clay 25 years.
Do you have a formal education in clay/art or how did you acquire your skills?
I have a bfa in ceramics from Alfred University, which gave me a great base of knowledge from which to work. I think I am still processing all the info I absorbed there. Since graduation I have been more interested in finding my voice in my work, and have chosen to limit my exposure to new techniques and influences. I love seeing what others are doing, but I get distracted easily and overwhelmed with new ideas which limits my focus.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Covered Jar
As a graduate of Alfred’s ceramic program, one of the most respected clay programs in the nation, can you speak to the rigor of the program and how it has prepared you to pursue clay full time in recent years?
I can still hear my professors when I am working. It is rare for me to make anything without thinking, what would they think. Is this piece up to standard? It has made me a harsh critic of my work, and others work as well. I’m okay with that, I want to make the very best work I can and I want to encourage others to do the same.
Often, I still think of the advice my pottery teacher gave us to wait to put the work out there and to make it the very best you can. Once the work is in the world, that is the work people will expect you to make, so don’t get stuck making under developed work. I’m not sure anything prepared me for life as a full time artist, but I do feel like I want to live up to the standards set by my education and the talented people I went to school with.
Were you ever interested in pursuing a MFA in ceramics?
I’ve always debated MFA, no MFA. I still think about the possibility, if it’s something that would enhance my work or open up opportunities. I guess I haven’t made a conclusive decision about it yet so it’s still on the table.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Sugar and Creamer Set
How do you work (techniques/glazing/firing methods)?
Working on lots of projects at once keeps my day interesting. I throw for part of the day, then switch to handbuilding or sculpting. It is easier on the body to move around, and I don’t get antsy doing the same thing all day. I throw functional ware in porcelain, handbuild slab pots, make decorative wall hangings, and sometimes make attempts at what I call “real art”, but it’s really just playing in the studio.
All my work is very focused on surface decoration. I like simple forms that give me a canvas to use slip, glaze pencils, glaze and stamps, to layer color and image. Soda firing has always been a part of that process. It adds that extra magic to a surface, and it is always a surprise.
We are both members of the Colorado Potters Guild. What does it mean to you to be a member of the guild?
When I joined the guild, I was desperate to have a place to fire, but otherwise I was fine working in solitude. I didn’t realize at first how enriching it would be to have a group of clay friends to talk shop with. These days I am constantly grateful for all the enthusiasm, problem solving and fun that being in this group brings.
Sarah Christensen – Spraying soda into the vapor kiln at the Colorado Potters Guild
We have been firing the soda kiln at the Colorado Potters Guild together with a few others and you lead our firings. What is your philosophy or end goal for a soda firing as it relates to your work since it’s so highly decorated with color and fine line work?
The end goal is always the same. How can I get the most exciting, beautiful surface possible on a pot? It has certainly been a process to find just the right firing to keep the decoration intact, while making sure the soda does its magic.
Lately, my interest is in getting what I call “radioactive” color. Most people associate high fire with brown or subdued colors, so I love that I can get bright colors, but retain the complexity that comes with higher temps. The soda has the potential to really enhance the glaze colors, while also softening the design work and making it more variable.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Wheel Thrown Mug
Technically this makes you teacher or instructor by taking the lead in our firings (and you’re good at it). Have you ever thought about teaching classes to other potters or aspiring potters? Why or why not?
I have done a little teaching, but have not found a good fit yet. There are times I think I would like to teach, but it is hard to give up my own studio time for it. I wouldn’t rule teaching out if the right opportunity came about, it just hasn’t been a goal particularly.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Ceramic Wall Curio Box Untitled
People love your functional work and I think your sculptural wall boxes are under appreciated. Would you like to move more into the sculptural realm, or do you enjoy straddling both functional and sculptural?
There is something very comforting about making pots. They are art objects, but their function gives them purpose and meaning and definition, so I don’t have to. As long as my pots function, they are what they were meant to be. Its nice to have the container of function and it takes the pressure off when I’m not feeling especially creative, but still want to work.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Ceramic Wall Curio Box Untitled
I never intended to show the sculptures when I started making them. They are an exploration of a personal experience, and I really wanted them to stay private. I guess I (mostly) got over this feeling, plus I ran out of wall space to store them.
Sarah Christensen Ceramics – Ceramic Wall Curio Box Untitled
I have been missing making them lately, but the functional pots have taken precedence as I try to get them into the world…. I would love to make more of the wall pieces, but I feel so much more pressure to make them meaningful, to have them say something about me or the world. Sometimes it’s just really nice to sit down and make a mug.
I publish interviews with artists whose primary medium is clay once a week, every Friday. This regular segment is named “Feature Fridays” which can be found when searching the Ceramicscapes Blog using the category search function on the right hand sidebar. Interested in being featured? Visit the Apply for Feature Fridays page for more information.
